In the first aspect, the possibility of being hit on the head while golfing, playing baseball, or while spectating is a concern. At present, baseball/golf caps offer little protection for the head from flying balls. Although previous inventions and designs have proposed rigid plastic and foam inserts for hats such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,439,871, 5,226,180, 5,289,591, 5,269,026 the protection offered is not varied and thorough protection and it is unclear whether they meet safety guidelines and these devices have not been a commercial success. The amount of actual protection afforded against a flying golf ball is also questionable.
In the second aspect where a person may fall or collide with another person or object while snowboarding, skate boarding, cycling, horse riding or the like is also a major concern. Head injuries often result from such falls or collisions. At present there are protective helmets that some people wear whilst carrying out such activities, while many prefer to wear a less cumbersome sports hat, especially on the ski slopes. Existing helmets can be hot and uncomfortable and they can put undue stress on the delicate neck muscles because they are heavy and cumbersome which may contribute to broken necks in some accidents where the wearer is involved in a collision. With many existing helmets the wearer's sense of hearing is impaired and this can cause anxiety and a lack of communication, which could lead to danger. Aesthetically, many people also prefer to wear their favorite hats instead of a cumbersome helmet.
This is particularly the case with “the youth market” i.e. teenagers and younger adults. In some states and counties, such as New South Wales, Australia, despite the legal requirement to wear a helmet, many bike riders particularly teenagers, do not wear helmets partly because they can be hot and sweaty to wear but also because they are perceived to be “uncool”, particularly, in comparison with “cool” headgear such as beanies, toques, baseball caps and the like. Teenage cyclists may often be seen riding their bicycles, carrying their protective helmet on the handle bar of the bike, and wearing a baseball cap. The latter, of course, provides no collision protection for the wearer. Children and teenagers riding popular mini scooters also tend to wear only a baseball cap rather than a protective helmet.
There have been many protective headgear suggestions in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,871 (referred to above) to Plastino, discloses a protective insert comprising a single shell consisting of a rigid unreinforced plastic, which is relatively heavy and has poor shock absorption properties. Plastino discloses an inner circular foam piece for the top of the head, however, the sides, front and back of the head lack the second layer allowing less protection to the head. An adjustable sweatband is disclosed which adjusts to various head sizes and absorbs sweat along the lower edges. The design suggested by Plastino is manifestly “uncool” to the “youth market” and the protection afforded the wearer's head dubious in both aspects of protecting against impacts against objects and protecting the wearer's head when struck with, e.g. a golf ball. When testing prototypes with ballistic golf ball testing equipment at the Institute of Preventative Sports Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich., the sides and the top of the head required extra shock absorbing protection which Plastino's model lacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,180 to Leach also listed above, discloses protective headgear in the form of a hemispherical-shaped shell composed of a rigid Styrofoam material attached, either permanently or temporarily to an outer cover by a suitable adhesive. The Styrofoam would have to be very thick to absorb shocks and function effectively and it would be difficult to maintain the outer appearance of a regular sports cap with this proposal. This Styrofoam material would allow penetration by a flying object thus it would be for single use only.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,759 to Rinaldi discloses a rigid shell with a skirting material to tighten and fasten the shell on the outside of the shell and a rigid bill/visor removable from the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,591 to Anderson discloses a rigid plastic shell with many ventilation holes and a cutout section to fit inside an adjustable exterior baseball cap. The shell is unlikely to provide any real protection in either scenario 1 or scenario2, and also looks uncomfortable to wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,026 to McManus discloses a safety liner, which is adjustable and only partially encircles the head.
In the inventor's prior Australian Patent Application No. 52761/98, a protective insert discloses a single layer plastic shell which lacks the necessary inner shock absorbing layer required to protect the entire head from impact in standardized tests. The present invention discloses both an inner and outer shell that has passed Australian/New Zealand Standardized Impact Tests for cycling at Imtest Laboratory in Christchurch, New Zealand. When a single layer shell was tested, it could not pass the impact testing.
None of the foregoing designs are believed to have passed or be capable of passing the standardized tests for protective headgear. The above referenced patents, advocate the use of either a rigid unreinforced plastic as an insert, which is heavy and provides little inert shock absorption protection to the entire head or a single shell of rigid foam such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,180 which is bulky and for single use only as it becomes dented and cracked upon a substantial impact.
In other prior art relating to military and other helmets such as GB 2,202,729 to Shephard and Tobin, the use of aramids in many layers (about twenty-five layers) is disclosed to protect against bullets. GB 1,578,351 and 1,578,352 to Lovell discloses the use of aramid in many layers (about twenty-five layers) for use in heavier ballistic bulletproof helmets. Such bulletproof helmets are thick, heavy, and clearly far too cumbersome for wearing inside a hat for sports such as golf or cycling.
It is an object of the present invention to address the problems of the existing protection devices as are described above, and provide a protective insert which provides suitable protection to the wearer but which also can fit inside a wearer's sports cap or the like to maintain a pleasing aesthetic appearance.
Regarding the cloth liner for a hat or hat insert, there have been many cloth liner suggestions in the past. For example, W.O. Pat. No. 90/06698 to Weyerhaeuser Company discloses a disposable liner of liquid permeable material that has an elongated body and covers the lower portion of the hat to add comfort to the forehead.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,668 to Bogan discloses a liner for a hat consisting of a moisture absorbent material that is backed by a layer of moisture impervious material. The device is essentially a headband strip section and does not cover the entire head.
AU Pat. Application No. 45826/96 to Schlink discloses a single layer absorbent liner for a hat or cap.
DE 29915233 U1 to Kassing discloses a single layer liner that includes a lower sweatband portion as well as a crown portion.
In the inventor's prior Australian Patent Application No. 52761/98, is a removable cloth sleeve, similar to a pillowcase that covers both the exterior and interior sides of the shell. The cloth liner of the present invention only lines the inside of the shell where it is useful to absorb the sweat and provide comfort without adding any bulky unnecessary covering of the outside of the shell.
The cloth liner of the present invention discloses a moisture absorbent layer backed by a moisture resistant layer that covers the entire head area inside a hat, rather than a restricted sweatband area or single layer liner. The present invention can be easily removed for laundering and used more economically than the disposable liners disclosed in previous inventions. The previous inventions are for either single layer liners or liners that only partially cover the head area inside a hat or hat insert.
The double layer liner can be folded into a compact moisture resistant bag to be attached to sporting equipment or clothing to be used as an exchangeable liner as required as when the existing liner becomes sweaty and uncomfortable. The Velcro® dots or strips on the exterior of the bag can be mated to Velcro® dots or strips placed on the handlebars of the cycle or scooter. As another temporary attachment method for snowboarders, skiers, or golfers the folded cloth liner bag could use a releasable clasp mechanism to attach the bag to a zipper or ring on the ski jacket or golf bag.